The Hills Have Eyes

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The Hills Have Eyes

R

1977

1h 23m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

54%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Wes Craven's cult classic about cannibalistic mountain folk on the trail of stranded vacationers in the arid Southwest.

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Critics Consensus

When it's not bludgeoning the viewer with its more off-putting, cruder elements, The Hills Have Eyes wields some clever storytelling and a sly sense of dark humor.

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Variety Staff

Variety

A satisfying piece of pulp.

Jul 22, 2008

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Derek Adams

Time Out

A heady mix of ironic allegory and seat-edge tension.

Feb 9, 2006

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Eric Henderson

Slant Magazine

Craven's latent sick streak gets a major workout here, and the rudest shocks seem to center around the "good" family's parental figures.

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 10, 2003

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Alan Jones

Radio Times

The introduction of the extraordinary-looking Michael Berryman to the roster of unpleasant characters only adds extra punch to the charnel-house terror invoked.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 2, 2025

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Max Allen

Horror Movie Talk

This movie is dark, gritty, and tugs at your nerves from almost every conceivable angle... This movie pulls no punches, attacking the family dynamic from all sides. No one is safe, and all shots are below the belt.

Rated: 8/10

Aug 22, 2025

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James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

works as a taut thriller, but it also leaves plenty of room for political and ideological tunneling, if only for its horrific inversion of American family values

Rated: 3/4

Jan 6, 2022

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Jelisije J

A family gets stranded in a desert and must survive a group of cannibals seeking to eat, breed, and kill them

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/22/25

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Eye C

A seventies-era film that generates more anxiety because of the four-legged animals than the two-legged ones. A family moves to California, and during the trip, the patriarchal father insists on stopping to see a silver mine and "dig his claws into" whatever he can find. What he doesn't know, and also refuses to heed, is that near the mine there is something inhuman that could put everyone accompanying him at risk. As I understand it, this is a cult classic categorized as a B-movie, and while it's not a masterpiece, it doesn't descend into bad taste as I expected. Full of period clichés, it's the classic horror film where you shout at the TV: "DON'T GO IN THERE, THEY'RE GOING TO POKE YOUR EYE OUT!" and "SHUT UP, KID, THEY'RE GOING TO HEAR YOU!" and things like that. The funny thing is that the hero of the movie is the dog, and I'm not speaking figuratively; the dog literally helps his owners avoid being completely murdered.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/14/25

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Caleb L

A really good if bleak film from master of horror Wes Craven

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/08/25

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Gabrielle H.

An absolute classic and super camp horror film; horror wouldn’t be the same without this movie. Such a staple.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/09/25

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e6e6e e

The Hills Have Eyes is a gritty and intense horror classic that showcases Wes Craven’s talent for creating raw, unsettling tension. The cinematography captures the desolate landscape perfectly, adding to the film’s claustrophobic and terrifying atmosphere. While the story leans on familiar survival horror tropes, Craven’s direction brings an emotional weight that makes it stand out

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/26/25

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Spike D

A steaming pile of crap.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/05/25

Full Review

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Wes Craven

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Synopsis

Wes Craven's cult classic about cannibalistic mountain folk on the trail of stranded vacationers in the arid Southwest.

Director: Wes Craven
Producer: Peter Locke, Kurt Tarvis
Screenwriter: Wes Craven
Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment, Vestron Video, Image Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Blood Relations Co.
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 22, 1977, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 11, 2016
Runtime: 1h 23m
Sound Mix: Mono

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